Apparatus for treating fabrics in continuous lengths with liquids



Patented Apr. 8, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR TREATIN G FABRICS IN CONTINUOUS LENGTHS WITH LIQUIDS Thomas H. Hilliard, Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, assignor to Celanese Corporation of' America, a corporation of' Delaware Application November a, 1947*, serial No. 783,778

1 Claim.

shifting and the formation of dye rivers in thedyed fabric. However, it has been found that highly advantageous results are obtained with respect to reducing the formation of faults in said knitted fabrics on dyeing by subjectingthe knitted fabrics to a pretreatment in a hot aqueous scouring bath containing soap or other surface-active scouring agent without placing the fabric under tension. This treatment not only helps to remove atleast part of the lubricating or conditioning agents usually present on the knitted yarns but also causes the stitch to be set by effecting a controlled increase in length and a corresponding decrease in width in the elastic fabric. Various types of apparatus for the hot aqueous pretreatment of said knit fabrics have been proposed heretofore but none has been entirely satisfactory for the rapid, continuous and efficient pretreatment of substantial yardages of knit fabrics.

It is, therefore, an important object of this invention to provide an improved apparatus for the 2 Referring now to the drawing and more particularly to Fig. 1, the knitted fabric 3, preferablysewn in tubular form, which is to. be subjected to a hot, aqueous pretreatment is stored in a wheeled bin 4. The fabric 3 is piled in bin 4 so that it may be freely withdrawn therefrom by means of a cylindricah slatted reel 5 rotating in a clockwise direction. Reel 5 is carried on a shaft 6 having a pulley 1 mounted thereon which is engaged by a belt `8 driven at constant speed by a second pulley 9 mounted on the output shaft I0 of `a Vgear box II operatively connected toa" The suitable, constant speed electric motor I2. shaft 6 of reel 5 rotates in a bearing I3 supported by suitable brackets, generally indicated by reference numeral I4.

After being lifted from bin 4 by the rotation of reel 5, the fabric 3 is passed in a downward direction into a vessel I5 where it is wetted out pretreatment of knitted fabrics prior to dyeing whereby said knitted fabrics may be scoured and the stitches set by effecting a controlled increase in length and decrease in the width of said fabric.

Another object of this invention is the provision of an improved apparatus for the pretreatment of knitted fabrics whereby said pretreatment may be effected in a continuous manner and precise tension control maintained.

Other objects of this invention will appear from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawing. f

In the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout both views of the drawing,

Fig. l is a side-elevational view of the novel apparatus of my invention for the pretreatment of knitted fabrics showing the means whereby the knitted fabric is entered into and withdrawn from the pretreating baths, and

Fig. 2 is a plan view of said novel apparatus.

quickly and thoroughlyby a stream of hot, aqueous pretreating liquid I6 coursing over a pair of laterally disposed vertical baffles I'I which divide vesse1 I5 into two separate sections. Any air in the fabric is effectively removed and the fabric is carried along by the liquid stream. Baflles I'I extend downwardly and inwardly through the base of vessel I5 into an elongated funnel I8 V-shaped in cross-section which not only carries the flowing liquid to a vat IlV but also guides the wetted fabric 3 on to a curved guide plate 2E! xed to the lower edge of said trough I8 below the level of the pretreating liquid bath in the pretreating vat I5. The removal of the air prevents the wetted fabric from floating and being distorted in the hot bath.

'I'he hot, aqueous pretreating liquid It which is circulated through vesse1 I5 is withdrawn from vat I9, through a pipe 2I by means'of a centrifugal pump 22 driven by a suitable electrical motor 23. The liquid leaving pump 22 enters a manifold 24 where it is divided into two streams,- one going through a closed pipe 25 provided with liquid exit slots 26 and the other through a closed pipe 21 provided with exit slots 28. Vessel I5 is suitably baflied at right'angles to baffles I'I by'means of a plurality of baies 29 so that the liquid flow from slots 26 and 28 will be in register with the open spaces between said baiiles 29 and will be directed over baffles I 'I into funnel I8 in a smooth and even fashion.

The thoroughly wetted fabric 3 leaving the surface of curved guide plate 20 passes under a rotatably mounted, relatively fixed guide roll 30 and then under a rotatably mounted floating guide roll 3|. After passing under guide roll 3l,

the pretreated fabric 3 is lifted from the liquid in vat I9 -by means of a slatted reel 32. Reel 32 is provided with a shaft 33 and is rotated in a clockwise direction, shaft 33 resting on bearings 34 which are supported by posts 35. The driving means provided for driving reel 32 comprises an electric motor 36 having a pulley 31, mounted on the drive shaft thereof, which engages a drive belt 38 in frictional contact with a pulley 39 keyed to shaft 33 of reel 32. Shaft 33 also cai'- ries a pulley 40 keyed thereto the purpose of which will hereinafter be described.

The pretreated fabric 3 after leaving vat I9 is then passed into an aqueous fabric cooling bath contained in a second vat 4l, the fabric passing under rotatably mounted floating guide rolls 42 and 43 set below the level of the liquid in said vat. The cooled fabric 3 is lifted from said vat 4| by a driven, rotating slatted reel 44. Reel 44 rotates on a shaft 45 set on bearings 46 and is driven by means of a pulley 41 frictionally engaged by a drive belt 49 which passes over driven pulley 40 on shaft 33. The cooled, pretreated fabric 3 leaving rotating reel 44 may then be piled into a wheeled bin 49 from which it may then be withdrawn for dyeing, or it may be passed directly into a suitable dyebath.

The novel apparatus of my invention enables the knitted fabric 3 to be suitably pretreated in the pretreating bath so that any lubricating or conditioning agent thereon is removed and the stitch set without subjecting any portion of the fabric to mechanical tension during said pretreatment. While the knitted fabric undergoes an increase in length and a corresponding decrease in width during pretreatment due, in part, to the action of the hot pretreating liquid thereon, it is essential, as stated above, that the elongation take place without any positive mechanical tension being applied thereto. Our novel apparatus enables this elongation to be effected in a highly satisfactory manner since the degree of elongation may be closely controlled by increasing or decreasing the rate of ow of the hot, pretreating liquid over bailles I1 and down through V-shaped funnel I8. Reel 32 is driven at a carefully controlled rate suicient to take up the increased length of the fabric due to the pretreatment, which increase is normally about 40% of the original length, without, however, placing the fabric 3 passing through vat l'9 under any positive mechanical tension at any time.

The knitted fabrics pretreated in my novel apparatus are found to be highly uniform not only with respect to their physical appearance but also with respect to their dyeing characteristics. When dyed, the pretreated fabrics are found to be entirely free of creases or dye rivers. Furtherm-ore, my novel apparatus enables the pretreatment to be effected rapidly and in a continuous fashion, thus permitting the pretreatment of substantial yardages of knitted fabrics in a relatively short time.

It is to be understood that the foregoing detailed description is given merely by way of illustration and that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In apparatus for the treatment or fabrics with a liquid medium, the combination with a vat for holding a relatively large body of liquid medium,

of a vessel positioned above said vat, a. funnel operatively connecting said vessel and said vat, means for continuously circulating the liquid medium between said vat and said vessel at a predetermined rate, said liquid circulating means including a variable speed pump, piping on the suction side of said pump leading to said vat, and slotted discharge pipes in said vessel connected to said pump on the discharge side thereof, means, including a driven reel, for passing a fabric to be treated through said vessel and said funnel and into said vat in a vertical, downward direction, a curved guide plate in said vat contiguous to the discharge end cf said funnel for receiving said fabric directly as it leaves said funnel, a pair of baifles dividing said vessel into separate, liquid-receiving compartments each containing one of said slotted discharge pipes, said baflles continuing downwardly below said vessel to form said funnel and being adapted to guide the fabric therebetween while directing the liquid medium flowing through said baffles against said fabric as it` passes through the vessel and funnel into the said vat, and a plurality of baffles in each of said compartments at right angles to said vessel-dividing baffles to direct the liquid medium over said vessel dividing baies, and a driven reel for withdrawing the treated fabric from said vat.

THONIAS H. HILLIARD.

REFERENCES `CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 971,575 Todd Oct. 4, 1910 1,777,114 Blum Sept. 30, 1930 1,913,601 Leppin June 13, 1933 2,067,915 Haeberlin Jan. 19, 1937 2,131,409 Nai l Sept. 27, 1938 2,149,708 Von Recklinghausen 1 Mar. 7, 1939 2,161,821 Gretler June 13, 1989 2,268,590 Hinnekens v Jan. 6, 1942 

